Nabeel Quershi explains:
"Christian do not believe that God is punishing a random victim. Jesus is God. The Judge is Himself voluntarily paying on behalf of the criminal...a more apropos illustration is shared by Brennan Manning in his book Ragamuffin Gospel. In 1935, Fiorello LaGuardia, the major of New York, presided over a court case in which an old woman had been caught stealing bread to feed her grandchildren. Although LaGuardia wanted to offer her mercy, the shopkeeper demanded justice. LaGuardia judged her guilty and imposed a fine of ten dollars, but in the same moment he took ten dollars from his own wallet and paid the fine on her behalf. Acknowledging the woman's guilt, the judge himself paid the penalty and let her go free.
This is a beautiful illustration of mercy and justice, but if we tweak one minor detail it will accord better with the gospel: if LaGuardia had not just been the judge but also the shopkeeper from whom the woman stole. When we sin, we sin against God. He has to judge us guilty, but then He pays for what we have done. It all make sense when we remember the Christian view of Jesus: He is God."1
When you understand that Jesus is God, the second person of the Trinity, you begin to comprehend how much He loves us and just what His sacrifice means.
You can find our answers to other "Common Objections" here.
You can find a more in-depth view of this question here.
Courage and Godspeed,
Chad
Footnote:
1. Nabeel Quershi, No God, But One: Allah or Jesus?, p. 99.
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